Team Members & Role:

• Donald Chang
• Eric Coly
• Lindsey Barrett
• Matt Swenson
• Brandon Wong

Abstract:

The original structural design of the hydrogen cell by Parker-Hannifin met the needs of withstanding the internal pressure and sealing the hydrogen without leaks. However, this design of the cell is overengineered and unoptimized. The number of Belleville washers and bolts is excessive for desired strength and seal and unnecessarily increases the assembly time for each cell. Each Belleville washer needs to be sorted and sequenced by hand which is a time-consuming process. Furthermore, the excess parts cost more for the increased material quantity. An improved design could save money both on part orders as well as on assembly overhead cost. Optimization of the hydrogen cell is important to the company’s goal of upscaling generators in both hydrogen flowrate and energy output. With increased output capabilities, Parker-Hannifin’s hydrogen generators will become increasingly more valuable to their consumers, putting them on a path to become the industry’s leading manufacturer of hydrogen generators. The optimization of the cell has not been resolved in part because there are limited competitors who sell hydrogen generators for low pressure applications as well as limited expertise and time limitation during the original design window.

In the spring semester, our team will use our improved design to fabricate a prototype and test under different failure conditions to ensure it meets all requirements. This will include tests such as pneumatic test for strength, a helium test to ensure no leaking, as well as an electrical conductivity test to ensure proper electrolysis. The main goal of our team will be to fabricate and potentially tweak prototypes in hopes of achieving a final product.